Blast from the Past
by Cloud413
Summary: Cloud seeks to revive Aeris. To do so he must release a storehouse of the most evil creatures the world had ever known. Will Cloud free Aeris and face the evil? Will he get more than he bargained for?
1. Sapphire

DISCLAIMER - None of these characters belong to me, neither do any of the items, towns, names, or virtually anything else you would see in the game. They are property of Squaresoft. The story of Final Fantasy VII isn't mine either. This little add on to the story that I made up is possibly the only thing in this story that belongs to me. If you read my other stories, this doesn't connect to them, minus some similar themes and a few little sections I took from some my other story. Everything is as it was when the game left off. I just don't want anyone to be confused. Please Read & Review! I love to hear from people about what they think of my story (please no flames). Thanks. Now, on to the reading.  
  
"Aeris. Was it really worth it? Why did you have to give your life? I don't know if saving the planet, even the universe, is worth losing you. But you didn't give me or anyone else a choice. We could have helped you, we could have protected you, we could have done something. But that wasn't what you wanted, was it?"  
  
Cloud Strife, a 22 year old, formerly of Shinra, formerly of Avalanche, formerly a fighter, now unemployed, looks up. He stands from a kneeling position before a glowing azure altar. He sheaths his sword, a beautiful and yet deadly sword, formed by the planet itself. Cloud felt that he had now paid his dues to his brave, kind, and beautiful friend. She had given her life that everyone could live. People everywhere now lived out their lives, not even knowing the heroes who saved them. Cloud wished he could have her back. He would have done anything. Cloud hears footsteps behind him. He whips around while drawing his sword and holds it less than an inch from the throat of the figure.  
  
"Who are you?" Cloud asked quickly. The man held out his arm and revealed the end of a massive and powerful looking weapon. "Lucky for you, a friend." Cloud stood still. "Talk stranger." The man removed his hood. There stood a large black man. He stood about 6' 4". He had a bull-cut and a beard. He smiled a broad smile. "Hey Cloud." "Barret!" "Ya, it's me. How have you been?" "Good, and you?" "Not too bad."  
  
"It's been awhile. hasn't it?" "A year at least." "Wow. What've you done in that time?" "Well, I became mayor of North Corel and I turned it completely around. You'll have to come and see it, it's incredible." "Sounds like it." "What about you?" "Not much really, I've been doing a lot of thinking."  
  
"Ya? Me too. That's why I came here. To say thanks. Didn't expect to run into you though. What brings you here?" "Saying goodbye." "I'm sorry, man. I know how much she meant to you, to all of us." "Ya, but I've gotta move on now. I'll wait for you outside, ok?" "Ya, ok."  
  
Barret walked towards the altar and Cloud out of the room. Cloud walked up the many steps to the top of the shell building. He was glad to see someone he knew. He was especially glad it was Barret. Cloud suddenly thought back to Aeris. He missed her so much, and no matter how much he convinced everyone else that he had let her go, he never would. Cloud slumped his head and stared at the floor as her walked up the last few tile steps. Cloud wasn't even looking as he walked through the portal that engulfed the last step. Cloud closed his eyes.  
  
"I'll always love you Aeris, you know that. wherever you may be." Cloud looked up. He saw and entirely white room. There was no boundary to the room, nor was there any definition to it. He glanced around the room and his eyes caught a man sitting on a large, golden chair. "Greetings Cloud Strife."  
  
A man, dressed in an elaborate outfit spoke. He wore shoes with rockets on the bottoms and blue pants that clearly defined his muscular legs. He wore a belt adorned with jewels of every sort. On his belt was attached a pistol and on his left hand he wore a black glove. He had a heavily decorated breast-plate. On the shoulders, rested two large diamond gemstones. In the center of the breast plate rested a massive blue jewel. Strung across his back was a sword of clear power and might.  
  
"Who are you?" "My name is Sapphire, I am the supreme being in the universe. I answer only to the lifestream." "Sapphire? Then you're a." "Weapon? In a sense, but in the same, not. Weapons must be awakened, I am eternal and have no beginning or end." "Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald. could have come up with some more original names." mumbled Cloud. "What?" asked Sapphire. "Nothing."  
  
"Very well. Let's get down to business. I didn't bring you for fun." "Good, because I didn't come for fun." "Let us talk about Aeris Gainsborough." Cloud's head burned. "What about her?" "You said goodbye to soon." "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"You and Aeris. You were in love, but neither of you would admit it. You too stubborn, her too afraid. When she left, you knew you would never forget her. And you never truly gave up hope that someday, somehow, you would see her again. Even now, you hold that same hope in your heart. No matter how much or how hard you try to tell yourself that you're over her, you know you never will be. There will always be that spot in your heart, reserved only for Aeris Gainsborough." "Ya. What's your point Sapphire?"  
  
"Well, as you hope on for all time that you would see her again, she hopes the same. She didn't return to the planet. She asked me that she would be kept apart so that someday she could see her love again. That is you." "So where is she?" Sapphire touched a gem on his belt. It was a small, round, pink gem. As he touched it, it glowed. It projected an image into the blank white space. It showed Aeris, sitting in a room, all alone. She just sat, and waited. "Aeris!" shouted Cloud. "She can't hear you." "Let her out, let her out of that little box." "It's not that simple."  
  
"Sure it is, open the crystal. You put her in, let her out." "I can't. She is bound to the other crystals. Letting her out would release the others who are contained in crystals. And you don't want that, the people in the other crystals are the most powerful beings that ever existed. They were put in the crystals to keep them from ever escaping into the world through rebirth in the lifestream." "I don't care! Let her out."  
  
Sapphire touched another crystal. It was gray and rugged. An image showed into space. It showed a woman, very beautiful. She was clearly very old as shown by her primitive clothing. "This is Jenova at the peak of her power. She was much more powerful then, not like the lesser versions of her that you fought," said Sapphire.  
  
Sapphire touched another crystal. It was ebony black. An image showed on the white. A dark man stood in the center of the image. He wore a black cape, black as the night. He had silver hair like the moon on a clear night. He had glowing emerald eyes. His face was locked in an emotion less state. The man stood in a room holding a large sword. He swung it and thrust. He practiced on and on. He suddenly stopped practicing. He thrust his sword into the ground. He yelled "I'll have my revenge Cloud Strife, I'll have my revenge!" Cloud didn't speak. He simply stared. Stared at the man in the black cloak. The man with the silver hair. The man with the green eyes. The man who killed his only love.  
  
"Sephiroth." said Cloud. "Yes, Sephiroth. He and Jenova are connected to Aeris, along with everyone on this belt. There are three more superpowers." He pointed to three gemstones. One red, one green, one white, and one blue. "These you know. Ruby, Emerald, Ultima, and the evil that I once was. All of these powers that could have once taken over the world would be released into the world again. This would be the cost for the release of Aeris. However, I am not permitted to make this decision for you. The lifestream has judged that if you so choose, you may release the gems on the belt. It trusts you to win. But I must warn you, the journey will be a long one. There are ten gems on this belt. I have shown you the most powerful of them. Eight of ten gems on the belt are evil. The evils once almost ruled the world. The other two, you already know. They were some of the greatest heroes in there own small ways. These two will be the partners that you will accompany you on your journey. The decision is yours Cloud Strife. The lifestream puts the world in your hands."  
  
Cloud saw a bright white light slowly growing until it engulfed him. Cloud woke up in his villa in Costa Del Sol. He stood up. He grabbed at his waste. There was a belt. He felt around it and felt the gems. "The decision is mine."  
  
Cloud knew that there were only two people in the world who he could trust this information to. He would consult his best friends. Cloud knew he had to talk to someone. He set off for North Corel. When Cloud arrived, he was awestruck. He didn't know where he was. Grass covered the ground, children ran and played. The houses were exquisitely decorated and beautiful. Cloud's jaw dropped. He wandered to the center of town. "What happened here?" Cloud remembered the way it used to be. Dirt, tents, and garbage.  
  
A strong black man walked out of the largest house in town up on a hill and gazed at the beautiful town. He saw a man in purple clothes with a huge sword standing in the center of town looking around. The black man sprinted down the hill at full speed, straight at Cloud. "CLOUD!" he shouted excitedly as he ran straight at him. The black man lifted him into the air and hugged him tightly. Cloud thought he had been hit by a bus. When he regained his sense, he looked at the man in front of him.  
  
"Barret! Barret, man, how are you?" "Fantastic. Just look at this place." "It's incredible. What happened here?" "A little hard work and inspiration can go a long way. Plus, once Dio up at the Gold Saucer heard what happened with Sephiroth and Meteor and all, he was more than happy to help me beautify North Corel." "Amazing." "Ya, we like it. So what's up?" "Long story. Can we go somewhere to talk?" "Ya, follow me."  
  
Cloud and Barret walked up the hill to Barret's mansion on the top of the hill. "Nice place." "Dio was feeling generous." Cloud and Barret walked through the house until they reached a large decorated. "This is my lounge." "Impressive." "So what do you want to talk about Cloud?" "I just need some advise." "Speak."  
  
Cloud talked for a long time, explaining to Barret how he had met Sapphire, how he had learned of Aeris and Sephiroth, and how he had come by the belt. "So what do you think I should do Barret?" "My friend, you already know what you should do. You decided when you first found that you had the belt. You had a true love. Nothing will stop that. Just as nothing will stop you in your quest to save the world once again. I wish you luck, and you know that you will always have my support. And if you ever need help, you've got PHS. Goodbye and good luck!"  
  
With that, Cloud thanked Barret and left North Corel. He quickly moved to Nibelheim. He arrived at his old town and took a second to take in the sights and smells of home. He then walked to a house on the right side of town. He walked in. A woman stood in the kitchen, cooking, as it was near dinner time. She had long brown hair. "Tifa." "Yes?" asked the girl as she turned around. "Cloud!" She ran to him and hugged him. "How are you Cloud?" "I'm good. Look, Tifa, I need to talk to you about something serious." "Ok, what is it?" "Not right now, but later. Tonight. Just meet me at the well after dark."  
  
Cloud walked out of the house. Later that night, Tifa sat on the well swinging her feet gently. Cloud stepped out from around the corner. "I was worried you wouldn't come. It was getting cold." said Tifa. "I'll always come. Ok, so here's the deal." Cloud went on to explain the events that had transgressed and when he had finished, he looked over to Tifa. "You still love her, don't you?" "Yes, I do. I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. Cloud, I've always been your friend, and I hope that I always will be. I'm not one to fight true love. You two belong together. Sephiroth took that away from you. You lost what may have been your one soul mate. You've been given a gift. You have another chance to win her back. Cloud, love is worth every risk in the world. You've got it. And whatever you decide, I'll be behind you all the way. Cloud. I say love is worth everything, but I don't show that in my actions. Maybe late is better than never, huh? I'll start now. Good luck." With that, Tifa went to Cloud and kissed him. "I'll always be on your side." "Tifa." said Cloud as she walked away.  
  
The next morning, Cloud knew what he had to do. He knew that he had made his decision. The world would be in good hands. He had defeated all evil once, he could do it again. He hoped. He traveled to the North Continent, to the Forgotten Capitol. But now, he had a different reason to be there. He was going to release evil into the world. It was worth it to him, Aeris was worth more than life itself. Cloud reached the center of the Forgotten Capital and went down to the altar. Cloud removed the belt. He saw its many gemstones. He saw its beauty. He threw it to the ground. It landed on the ground with a clatter. Cloud paused to look at the belt and think about what he was about to do. Thinking time is over, he thought to himself. He saw the golden gem mounted in the center of the belt. He swung the Ultima Weapon from his back and thrust it downward into the large stone set in the center of the belt.  
  
As Cloud struck the stone, a glow surrounded the belt. The stones detached from the belt and floated in a large circle around him. He looked around. He watched as the gems took shape. He saw them. Two he didn't recognize, then Ruby, Emerald, Ultima, Sapphire, then he saw Jenova appear. Finally, he turned to the ebony orb that flickered. Then, it took on a black glow that engulfed the light around it. Then, a man in a black cape appeared in its place. He slowly raised his head and then his eyes glared at Cloud. His emerald eyes locked on to Cloud's glowing blue eyes. Sephiroth smiled, and then, he and all the other evils disappeared. Two jewels floated nearby, a small pink circle gem and a silver triangle. The pink circle began to flicker and Cloud ran to it. It took from and a figure in a pink dress fell to the ground. Cloud picked her up. He held her in front of him. She slowly opened her eyes and looked ahead. She saw a pair of blue eyes. She snapped to attention and smiled. She embraced him happily.  
  
"I knew you would save me." Cloud could only smile and hug her. "Softy." said a voice from behind Cloud. Cloud turned around. There stood a strong looking man with black hair. He was dressed in a similar manner as Cloud. "Za. Za. Zack!" "Cloud. How are you? Haven't seen you since. I got killed." "Ha. That was quite a shame."  
  
"Ya, I didn't like it much. Plus I've been living in a box for the last six years." "You missed a lot. I saved the world." "Well that's good." "I took over your life for awhile too, I hope don't mind." "I don't care." "I'm glad. So I guess you'll be coming along with me to save the world then?" "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Zack looked behind Cloud. "Hi Aeris." "Hi Zack," said Aeris. "Long time no see." "No kidding." "Aeris, are we cool? I don't want you to hate me." "I got over that a long time ago Zack." "Ok, good."  
  
"Cloud." said Aeris. "Aeris." said Cloud. "Zack." said Zack. Cloud and Aeris turned to Zack and laughed. After a little while, Cloud told Aeris and Zack all that had happened since they had been gone. He told them what had happened, and what they needed to do. "Do you understand?" asked Cloud. "I do, but I don't fight well without a weapon," said Zack. Cloud drew a long sword out of his bag. "The Buster Sword." "It's the finest sword in the world," said Zack. "But only in my hands." Zack drew two small plugs from his pocket. He had two silver plugs. He inserted them into the two holes in the sword. The sword began to glow. It took on a silver shine and sharpened. "Only in my hands." He said smiling.  
  
"Ya, I get what you're saying Cloud. But I don't understand, why did you do this?" asked Aeris. "All for love," said Cloud, staring into Aeris eyes. "You're an idiot," said Zack. "What?" "You let out all the evil in the world for a girl." "Ya, so." said Cloud, staring into Aeris eyes. Aeris smiled at Cloud. Zack said "I oughta smack you."  
  
"But anyways, let me know what you need equipment wise and I'll get it. Also, if you have anything else you need, let me know. We'll leave in the morning. Meet at the Villa Cloud in Costa Del Sol." "I've already got everything I need," said Aeris. Zack handed Cloud a smudged, crumpled piece of paper with some words scribbled on it. "What's this?" "My shopping list," said Zack smiling. "Ok, I'll get this stuff and meet you guys at Costa Del Sol later tonight."  
  
Cloud walked out with Aeris close behind. Zack followed close behind and muttered "That Cloud is one lucky S.O.B. ." Cloud traveled to a shop in Costa Del Sol while Zack and Aeris went to the beach. Cloud began looking for all the things on Zack's list. "All Materia. Well, knowing Zack, that's probably not talking about the specific." Cloud walked up to the counter. "I need all Materia." "Ok, one all Materia coming up." "No, all of your Materia, one of each type." "Wow. sales." "Thanks, just hold it at the desk till I'm done, ok?" "Sure." "Ok, now we need. 'One of those shiny metal arm things.' Ok, I guess that would be an armlet. I'll just get the Platinum Armlet. Next. Tetra- Elemental. Hey, shopkeeper, do you have any Tetra-Elementals?" "Yes. Oh yes, but only one. It's very valuable."  
  
"Figures. Put that and this Armlet with the Materia. Ok, now I need 'a few bottles of green stuff.' What on earth Zack! Shopkeeper! I need green stuff." "Oh, you mean Megalixers." Cloud smacked his forehead. "Yes, probably." "He he." The shopkeeper ran to the back and smiled widely. He came back out with an armful of pink bottles. "Your total comes to 7 million gil."  
  
"Ah. Hold on, there's still one more thing. Oh, you must be joking. Sir, do you by any chance have a full size, collectable, gold replica of Sephiroth's sword? I don't know if you remember them, they only made 100 of them, and that was 10 years ago. I need one."  
  
The shopkeeper stood still. Then he smiled a huge smile. His eyes sparkled. He hopped up and down and clapped his hands. Then he lifted his head to the sky and let out the most disgustingly evil laugh that Cloud had ever heard a 60 year old shopkeeper let out. Then he said, "They only made 100. But they made one special. It was engraved with a signature of the master SOLDIER himself. I was a huge Sephiroth fan. It was anyone's dream to get that sword. I knew that I would be lucky to get one of the normal swords. And I did. When I opened the box, I took the sword out of it's sheath. There, near the bottom, above the handle, was a signature. It read 'Sephiroth.' I was overjoyed. They made 100 swords back then. There is only one left." With that, the shopkeeper reached under the desk and pressed a small red button. The doors and windows slammed closed with three foot thick mythril plates. The racks of items slid into the floor. The desk dropped as well. Then, out of the ground rose a small pillar. It let off a little smoke as it had been in a bomb-proof, fire-proof, freeze- proof, acid-proof, and weather-proof box for the last eight years.  
  
The sword rose slowly. A blue light shown up from the bottom of the pillar and showed the sword. It gleamed a golden hue. Cloud's jaw dropped. He saw the engraving, 'Sephiroth.' The shopkeeper laughed. He pulled a remote from his pocket, removing the glass from around the sword. He pressed another button, and the laser grid deactivated. A final button push turned off the motion detectors linked to cannons in each corner of the room. Cloud was afraid to move anymore. The shopkeeper walked up to the chamber and lifted the sword from its resting place.  
  
"It's my prize, has been since I got it. It would be hard to part with. But for the right price. What do you say?" "What's the right price?" "Oh, I'd usually charge at least ten billion gil for a piece like this, but for you, I'll throw in a deal. Eleven billion." "Eleven billion!" "For the whole store."  
  
"Wow. um. why are you selling me your whole store?" "After a sale like this, I'm retiring!" "I would too." "Well?" "I'll take it, give me everything." "He he he! Money!" shouted the shopkeeper. Cloud handed him 11 billion gil notes. "Bye bye! Have fun!" yelled the shopkeeper as he ran from the store skipping and singing.  
  
"Zack better appreciate this." He decided to leave the stuff in the store and come back for it with Zack and Aeris. Cloud began walking back to his Villa. He arrived and found Zack and Aeris sitting on opposite sides of the room. "Zack, your stuff's at the store. I got all of it, even that Replica of Sephiroth's Sword." Zack's jaw dropped. "You got that?" "Ya, it was on the list, and I asked." "I was just joking about that, I was just seeing if you could find one, I didn't want you to actually buy one." Cloud's eyes locked in a stone cold glare at Zack and he looked like he would explode any second. Aeris turned around. "Doesn't it hurt your face to hold it like that?"  
  
"Let's go. to my store." The three set off for Cloud Market. The trio arrived at the store and entered it. "Take what you need from the store, I own it all. Zack, your stuff's on the desk." "Thanks man, I owe ya one." "You owe me 11 billion," muttered Cloud. Zack went to the counter and equipped all of the items on it. Aeris went and found several things she liked. She took a Reflect Ring, some Sprint Shoes, a Ribbon, and one of each type of Master Materia. She equipped herself and turned to Cloud, who stood at the door.  
  
"Am I really worth risking the world over?" she asked Cloud. "The world and more," he replied. "Do you think we can win?" "Would I have released all that evil if I didn't?"  
  
"That's what I'm wondering." "Hey, I've got you back, and as an added bonus, I got him," said Cloud, pointing to Zack. Zack turned around with a half-eaten doughnut hanging out of his mouth. "Huh?" he asked. Cloud and Aeris started laughing. "What?" "Nothing Zack," said Cloud. "Alright. I'm done here, so when you're ready."  
  
Cloud walked over to a display and drank about 12 each of all types of Source boosters. Cloud then grabbed the three Master Materias, a pair of Sprint Shoes, a Ribbon, a Tetra-Elemental, and a few tents. "Ok, lets go," said Cloud. With that, the three walked out of the store and began their dangerous journey. 


	2. Preliminaries

'Did I make the right decision?' thought Cloud Strife. 'I mean, I know I got Aeris back, and heaven knows I love her, and I got one of my best friends back. But can I really beat Sephiroth and all the evil of the world all over again?' "Well, I guess we better get going," said Cloud to Aeris and Zack as he finished his breakfast. "Are you both ready?" "Uh-huh," said Aeris.  
  
Zack looked up with oatmeal dripping from his chin. "Huh? Oh, sure. One sec." He wiped his chin off with his sleeve and stood up. "Let's go!" The three packed up their camp and headed out. Cloud didn't know where he was going to look, so he decided to consult Bugenhagen.  
  
Bugenhagen took an ancient book off of his shelf and opened it. The cover read 'History of the World.' "Ah, here it is." "There what is?" asked Cloud. "Well, certainly a history book would tell of ancient rulers of the world." "Oh, ya." "Here's one, Celespion. He's a six legged centaur, you know, half man, half horse who was incredibly powerful during the Age of Monsters. He almost took over the world, but then." "He disappeared without a trace." "Yes. how'd you know?" "I figured that Sapphire probably sealed him up at the height of his power."  
  
"Ah, I see. He is assumed to have ruled from the East Continent, near now- a-days Kalm and the Chocobo Farm. Well, here's you likely second evil. an evil king who ruled in the Medieval times. His name is Kramo. He was reported to supposedly have some amazing power, but the book doesn't say what. His castle was near modern day Bone Village." "Must be the Forgotten Capital. He probably just rebuilt an old Centra ruin." "Well, that is all I can tell you. Good luck." Cloud then walked to the camp fire in the middle of town, where he found Aeris and Zack sitting about ten feet apart. Cloud reported all that Bugenhagen had told him to them. "Then I guess it's off to the East Continent, huh?" questioned Zack. "No, we need to talk to someone first. Then to the East Continent," said Cloud.  
  
"Ok, boss. Whatever you say," replied Zack sarcastically. Cloud sighed and walked out of Cosmo Canyon with Aeris at his side and Zack not far behind. Together, they traveled to Rocket Town where Cloud and Aeris walked into a house near the back of town while Zack went to a bar. Cloud knocked on the door. When no one answered, he entered. He took a step in and was met with a lance to his neck. "Cloud!" said Cid in surprise. "Terribly sorry, never know who you can trust these days." "I understand Cid. Can I come in?" answered Cloud. "Sure." "Can my friend come in too?" "Who would that be?" asked Cid. Cloud stepped aside. "Aeris! You're alive!" The two stepped inside.  
  
"Who's at the door, honey?" asked a voice from the side room. "Cloud. and Aeris, dear," responded Cid. "Oh!" exclaimed Cloud. "Who's that?" "That's Shera, you remember her, right?" "Ah yes, the girl you said you'd never marry and the girl you ordered and bossed around constantly. That girl?" "You got it." Cid and Cloud chuckled. "People change Cloud. I mean, look at Aeris, dead, alive, that's a bigger change if you ask me." "This is true," said Cloud. "But now I'm afraid, it's down to business."  
  
"What do you have in mind, Cloud?" "Well, me, Aeris, and Zack are going on perhaps the biggest adventure of all time and." "You want the Highwind." "Exactly." "No." "What?" "You can't have the Highwind. It's mine." "Cid." "I will however come along and fly it for you to where ever you need to go." "Seriously?" "Of course. I'm not one to miss out on adventure. But you aren't going to take anyone else along?"  
  
"I don't want to involve unnecessary people." "Unnecessary! We traveled to the ends of the earth for you. We did everything you asked and more. We were and still are your best friends and always will be. Unnecessary." "You're right." "Of course I'm right. And that's why like it or not, I'm picking up every last person who traveled with us on our last adventure. Unnecessary." "Ok Cid, you win. Let's go!"  
  
Cid was more than happy to get back into action and fly his beloved airship again. He was even happier to be able to see all of his old partners again. First he stopped in Wutai to pick up Yuffie. Next, he got Red XIII at Cosmo Canyon followed by Cait Sith at Midgar. Then he found Vincent and Tifa at Nibelheim. Finally, he picked up the illustrious Barret at New Corel. Finally the whole group was assembled and Cloud spoke to them.  
  
"Everyone, it's great to see you again. I want to thank you for abandoning your lives to come with us. Two people will be travelling with us that I want you to meet. First," said Cloud, putting his arm around Zack, "This is Zack." "Nice to meet you Zack," said Red XIII. "Ya, you all too," replied Zack. "The next person, you all knew, but I thought I'd reintroduce her," said Cloud. As he looked at his friends, they looked confused. Cloud disappeared into the shadows for a second and then reappeared with a person next to him. She stood back in the shadow while Cloud said, "Everyone, may I present. Aeris!" She stepped forward revealing her beautiful figure to the group. Cloud was awestruck every time he saw her. "Well, now that we're ready, here's the deal." "What deal?" asked Yuffie. "I don't remember any deal." "You don't have to be here," replied Cloud. "No, no. The deal's good."  
  
"Ok, moving on. Aeris and Zack were kept separate from the rest of the lifestream by an all powerful being named Sapphire. At this point, Sapphire entrusted to me a belt that held Zack, Aeris, and every evil imaginable. I had to make a choice, and I chose love. and Zack. But any ways, all the evil was released into the world and now we must defeat it." "What kind of evil?" questioned Vincent. "Evil that is no worse than all the evil we've seen." "Good, I was worried it might be another Sephiroth-like something or another." "Sephiroth is back," mumbled Cloud. "What?!" shouted the group simultaneously.  
  
"Sephiroth, as well as a much stronger version of Jenova was on the belt that held Aeris and Zack. Ultima, Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire were also on the belt. They are also now free." "I thought that this Sapphire was a good guy," said Tifa. "He was, but I released his evil." "Why did you do that Cloud?" asked Cait Sith. "For love," said Cloud, staring into Aeris' eyes. "I told him he's a moron," said Zack to Cait Sith. "I'd probably agree with that, judging by the circumstances," responded Cait Sith. "Hey, hey!" shouted Cloud. "Enough. Moron or not, I need all of your help to defeat the evils of the world. They're all very powerful." "We'll do it," said Barret.  
  
"Thanks guys," said Cloud. "Since there are so many of us, we'll split up and each group will take on specific enemies. Here's how I split it up." Cloud pulled out a list and showed it to the group. It read as such: Cloud, Aeris, Zack Sephiroth, Jenova Barret, Tifa Sapphire, Emerald Cid, Vincent Ruby, Ultima Red XIII, Yuffie Kramo, Celespion "Is that understood?" asked Cloud. When no one replied, he said, "Good. Keep in touch, if anything goes wrong, you have PHS. Keep me informed. Good Luck!" With that, each group went its separate ways and began what would undoubtedly be their most difficult adventure ever.  
  
First, Red XIII and Yuffie traveled to East Continent. They arrived at the pass between Kalm and the Chocobo ranch. They wandered the paths and came up with nothing. They sat down to rest at the base of a sloped cliff side. Had they continued to stay alert, they may have noticed the figure lurking in the shadows. Before they could blink, a monster sprung from the mountainside. Yuffie and Red XIII jumped to their feet as the centaur reared up and let out a blood-curdling roar. Celespion charged the two warriors, swinging his mighty arms and kicking the two to the ground. He reared up over Red XIII as to crush him, but suddenly, a flash ripped through his underside and he froze. He dropped to the ground as Yuffie stood holding the Conformer, her deadly boomerang. Celespion attempted to lift his head, but Red XIII smashed it back down with a powerful slash. Suddenly, Celespion's body glowed blue, and a flash of light erupted in the air. When the light dimmed, a small gem floated in the air where the body had been. Yuffie picked it up, and they traveled on to the Forgotten Capital.  
  
When they arrived, a bolt of lighting nearly struck Red XIII. He jumped, and then saw a man standing in a tower a hundred yards away. A vibrant green glow surrounded him and his eyes were lit with the same glow. He wore a bright gold crown adorned with many bright gems. "Yuffie!" said Red XIII. "Those gems are material orbs!" "Ooooohh, material. I want it," responded Yuffie. Yuffie threw the Conformer but as it neared the king, the swirling mist intensified and a powerful wind stopped and then flung the Conformer back at Yuffie. She hit the dirt just as the deadly blade whizzed by her head and it jammed into a rock. "Foolish girl! Do you dare to challenge Kramo the great?" he taunted. "No, she doesn't, but I do," said Red XIII.  
  
Red's eyes burned a crimson red. He crouched as every muscle in his body tightened and a red glow engulfed him. He charged forward as earth shot up and ice fell from the sky as Kramo commanded. He dashed around obstacles and as he neared, Kramo blasted a focused and powerful stream of flame directly into Red XIII. At the same moment, Red XIII lunged at Kramo. Kramo laughed in victory, but as he did, a crimson streak flew by him. He stopped laughing as he grasped his neck, while Red XIII stood behind him. He changed into yet another gem. Yuffie and Red XIII returned to the Highwind. In the conference room, they found the tarnished belt that Cloud had spoken of. They discovered that the two gems that they had collected fit into the first two slots on the belt. Had they been paying more attention, they may have noticed that the belt recovered some of its former luster.  
  
Meanwhile, near Cosmo Canyon, another battle raged on. Cid and Vincent were battling against the Ultima Weapon. Ultima was using attacks and abilities that neither of them had ever seen before. Ultima unleashed a powerful blast of energy from the cannons on his chest. The blast hit Vincent and sent him flying back into a crumpled heap. Cid screamed like a madman as he charged blindly at Ultima. Cid leapt up and slashed the beast across his leg. Ultima roared in pain as he charged for another blast. Cid knew what was coming just as Ultima finished charging. However, just before he released the beam, his chest erupted in explosion. The stored energy imploded, and Cid looked back to see Vincent standing majestically with his sniper rifle at his shoulder. He thrust his hand in victory as he walked back towards Cid. Ultima fell backwards and faded into a blue mist. The two found a mysterious white gem and decided to keep it. They collected the gem and flew towards the Gold Saucer.  
  
Vincent spotted Ruby as they flew by. They jumped from the Highwind and parachuted about two hundred yards from Ruby. "Let's finish this the easy way," said Vincent, as he shouldered the rifle. However, as he placed his finger on the trigger, a red tentacle sprung from the ground and smacked the gun far out of reach. Cid sliced clean through the tentacle with his lance. He then raised his hand into the air as Ruby reared up in pain. He shouted "Die you son of &*!#@" as he thrust his hand downward. Ruby had just enough time to see what was coming before the hundreds of bombs hit him from all directions. He was instantly vaporized when the bombs hit. When the dust cleared, they found another odd gem. They took it back to the Highwind. They set their two gems on the table and went to rest up. Yuffie entered the room later and put the gems in the belt muttering about her having to do everything. The belt now appeared only slightly tarnished and was beginning to recover its once beautiful shine.  
  
At the same time, Barret and Tifa were in the bottom of the ocean battling the vicious creature, Emerald. During the first part of the battle the Underwater Materia had been destroyed, leaving the duo with only limited time to defeat their powerful foe. Emerald attacked with an expanded cache of skills that began to overwhelm the experienced fighters. Barret had been reduced to a fraction of his former fighting power as the Missing Score began to malfunction. Attempting to use only his strength and limited magical abilities against Emerald, he was managing to inflict a legitimate amount of damage to him. Tifa pounded on Emerald with her powerful Premium Heart gloves. Emerald was taking damage, but not quickly enough for the two to win the battle. In a fit of rage, Emerald stuck with a tentacle and sent Tifa flying. She smashed hard into a rock about a hundred feet away and was out cold. Barret began to panic, for even with his strength, he by himself was no match for the Emerald Weapon. Emerald cast spell upon spell attempting to finish Barret, but Barret managed to evade almost every attack.  
  
Finally, Emerald cast a mighty thundaga attack. Barret had waited for that moment as he raised the Missing Score into the air. As the lightning struck the weapon, it began to smoke like never before. It began to smoke like a hippie at Woodstock. The power quickly built up in the gun. Suddenly a huge light appeared in the end of the barrel. The light grew larger and larger until it lifted Barret himself from the ground. He attempted to aim the blast at the Emerald Weapon, an apparently unnecessary gesture as the blast went off and completely eradicated any speck of existence for a half a mile in front of him. The only thing left after the blast cleared was a green gem that neither sunk nor rose in the ocean. Barret recovered the gem, grabbed Tifa, and swam to the surface. Resting for a moment, Barret gave Tifa a recovery item and she soon awoke. He explained what had happened as they called the Highwind to take them to the North Continent.  
  
As the ship flew over the glacier, a blue figure, about the size of a large man, dashed in front of the ship with unimaginable speed. He put his hand forward and despite the full thrust of the ship, it failed to move even an inch. Sapphire called out to the inhabitants of the ship. "Barret, Tifa, you are the ones destined to face me in battle. Come forth and prepare yourselves for the fight of your life!" As the two emerged from the ship, Sapphire again spoke. "It is impossible to think that you two weaklings are destined to defeat me in this battle. I am the most powerful being in the universe and as such have full rights to change the future as I see fit. You will not win here today. Cloud has made a fatal error." Sapphire immediately transported the two and himself to the Glacier itself and the battle began.  
  
Drawing his long sword, Sapphire was an imposing figure. Barret immediately fired upon him with his gun-arm, but Sapphire took the blast head on and emerged unharmed. Firing again, Sapphire charged passed the shot and swung his fist full strength into Barret, sending him sailing through the air. Appearing instantly in front of Barret, Sapphire punted him high into the air. Again disappearing and reappearing above Barret, he sent him sprawling towards the planet with a smashing attack. Barret drilled into the ground, creating a small crater and a trench where he dragged. He lay motionless, barely breathing on the icy terrain.  
  
Tifa, seeing that Barret was down and Sapphire was out of reach decided to cast a magical spell. She cast Ultima and as the orb swirled around Emerald, he thrust his hands outward, destroying any trace of the attack. He suddenly stood just in front of Tifa and spoke with a quiet confidence. "You can see that you can never win this fight. Look at your friend, he is struggling to hold on to life. How could you ever expect to defeat me?" Tifa quickly shot back "you could never understand what drives us to fight." He sheathed his sword, thinking its use unnecessary. He landed punch after punch on Tifa, her not returning one to speak of. He pummeled her into a cliff's side that shattered upon her impact. He grabbed her weak body and tossed her into the air. Appearing far above her, he fired a firaga attack that sent her crashing to the ground in a similar manner of Barret and stopping just a few feet from him. "Don't you see?" he taunted. "You're no match for me. I am the most powerful being of all time!"  
  
The two warriors lay near to each other. Tifa slowly rose, stumbling to her feet. "You'll never understand why we fight." Barret also fought up, struggling to speak. "We aren't fighting for ourselves and we aren't fighting alone." Yuffie ran from the Highwind. "You'll never defeat us, we just won't stay down." Red XIII followed behind Yuffie. "We fight with a purpose not our own." Cait Sith waddled out as well. "We may not appear strong, but we have the greatest power of all." Vincent proudly emerged as well. "Don't you see, you fight for honor, we fight to win." Cid stormed out behind Vincent. "No monster can stand between us and our goals. We don't just fight to win, we fight for each other." Tifa spoke again, backed by all of her friends. "We're ready to fight. Barret filled in "you'd better be ready, because our strength is far beyond yours."  
  
"Ha. Don't make me laugh. I put you down before without even a fraction of my power. How do you expect to beat me now? All of you together don't stand a chance!" exclaimed Emerald. "You misunderstand. We're not all going to fight, just me and Barret vs. you." explained Tifa. "Then you're bigger fools than I thought. Prepare yourselves to become part of the Lifestream!" yelled Emerald.  
  
Emerald charged at Barret just as he had before and prepared to strike him. The group behind them cheered for Barret and as Emerald swung, Barret dropped to the ground and Emerald's face was met with a mighty kick from Tifa. He stumbled backwards and Barret fired his weapon at Emerald. The blast hit and shattered the golden armor on Emerald's chest. Emerald jumped up as Tifa ran at Barret. He dashed towards them and as Barret threw Tifa upward, Emerald punched at Barret. Barret blocked the punch with the Missing Score and Tifa completed her kick as she planted her foot in the side of Emerald's head. The group again cheered in delight at the display. Emerald regained his composure and glared at Tifa and Barret. His body began to glow bright blue and emanate rings of blue light. The azure ripples in the air shook the ground and the planet itself seemed to react to Emerald's anger. He rose his hands above his head and his power seemed to grow tenfold.  
  
Barret and Tifa stood; they were prepared for anything, for as a team they proved that they were more than a match for Sapphire. Tifa leapt onto Barret's shoulders and the two prepared a limit attack of their own. Barret gun began to smoke and glow brightly as he charged towards Sapphire. As he got near, Tifa leapt off of Barret's shoulders as the man himself slid underneath Emerald's legs. Tifa did multiple backward flips, striking Sapphire with her powerful kicks each time. The final kick caught him fully in the chin and lifted him completely off the ground as he flew backward parallel to the Glacier. Barret crouched underneath his flying body as the pressure in the Missing Score came to its peak and exploded. The blast carried Sapphire high into the sky where it exploded in a brilliant display of fireworks. A small blue dot fell from the sky and Barret caught the blue gem before it ever reached the ground. Emerald's voice was heard from the sky. "Well done my friends, Cloud was right in trusting you. He is at the North Crater. Go to him and take the belt. He will need your help. I wish you luck, I know you will succeed."  
  
The team entered the Highwind and went into the conference room. The belt rested on the table. Barret and Tifa picked it up and returned the blue and green gems to their locations. The belt now glowed bright gold and to ignore the energy it gave off would be foolish. The team had the tools that they needed to defeat Sephiroth. The Highwind lifted off majestically and began its flight towards the crater.  
  
Elsewhere, Cloud, Aeris, and Zack were preparing to fight the battle that would forever determine the fate of the world and the universe itself. As they climbed the hillside of the crater, not even Zack was speaking. All thoughts were on Sephiroth and Jenova. As the three climbed over the ridge, they all had to look on in awe at the beauty before them. A green glow emerged from the area in the center and a swirling blue mist came from the hole. However, the serenity was quickly broken as Cloud swung himself up and said, "Let's go." 


End file.
